Snip
by ForbiddenDreams13
Summary: AU The sound of scissors pulls Kurama from a dead sleep. He finds a cut flower on his doorstep. Everything was normal. Then, nothing was.


**Hey, hey! Welcome to a brand new tale of terror! Step right in, and we'll have some spooky fun!**

* * *

_Snip, snip._

The sound pulled me out a dead sleep. I sat up, glancing around my room, trying to find the source. My room appeared as I had left it before going to bed: blinds drawn, papers strewn all over my desk, a random pencil on the floor. Everything was quiet. I sat and listened, waiting for the sound. Nothing. Hm. Maybe I just imagined it. Some weird combination of normal and waking dream.

I got up and went about getting ready for the day. As I opened the door to leave for work, I paused. On the front porch, right in front of the door lay the cut heat of a flower. Curious, I bent over and picked it up. It was a chrysanthemum blossom. Delicate and pure white, who ever placed it here had cut it right at the base of the head. I couldn't see a single trace of green stalk.

_Was this what I heard? _I wondered. No. That didn't make sense. Either someone had the loudest scissors in existence, or my hearing was on par with Daredevil. Shrugging, I chuckled the flower into the bushes and locked up the house. It was probably something from one of my neighbors that had just blown onto my porch.

* * *

I hopped up the steps to my front porch, eager to get home and unwind. Work had gone pretty well. A cute coworker a cubicle down from me had agreed to my suggestion that we meet up for lunch over the weekend. Whistling to a jaunty tune, I unlocked my front door and pondered over possibilities. I set my keys on the stand by the door and walked into the kitchen, ready to nuke some leftovers in the microwave, when I spotted something on my table. It was another cut chrysanthemum. I frowned. A thousand questions buzzed through my brain. How had this gotten in my house? Had I left the backdoor or a window unlocked? Why would someone leave a flower on my kitchen table? Was this a prank by one of my friends?

_Snip, snip._

I whipped around. Nothing. Nervous, I ran through the house, checking locks as I went. Backdoor, living room door and windows, bedroom window, everything was locked and bolted, and there was no sign of anyone else in the house. Shaking my head, I crumpled the flower in my fist and tossed it in the trash.

* * *

"Hey, Kenji? Did you do this?"

I held up the cut flower. My coworker quirked an eyebrow.

"No. Why?" He asked.

"I found it sitting on my desk." I explained, "I've asked everyone else in the office, and they denied it. You were the only person left."

"Well, it wasn't me."

I stared at the flower, turning it over in my hands. It was a carnation this time. White, just like the two chrysanthemums. "You're sure?"

"Uh, yeah?" Kenji cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong? They're just flowers."

"This is the third one I've found. The first one was on my front porch, the second was on my kitchen table."

Kenji snapped his fingers. "Didn't you go on a date with Midori on Saturday?" He grinned. "Maybe this is her way of hinting that she wants to go further."

I shook my head and pitched the flower into the trash can beneath Kenji's desk. "No. Turns out the date went sour."

"Bummer."

I shrugged. "No big deal. Besides, I found the first two before the date."

"Maybe you have a stalker."

"A stalker would have had to break in to place the second one. The house was locked up tight."

"Breaking in implies they weren't already inside in the first place."

"Oh, that's comforting." I said, shooting Kenji a glare.

Kenji held up his hands. "Hey chill, man. I'm sure it's nothing."

I sighed. He was probably right. Besides, I still hadn't ruled out the prank option yet. Then again, if it had been one of my friends, someone in the office would have mentioned seeing them. Or maybe not. Kuwabara and Botan were known and well liked. If they wanted to play a joke on me, it wouldn't be too hard for them to get the office involved. I thanked Kenji and went back to my desk. I booted up my monitor and opened up my email, preparing to send a response to my boss.

_Snip, snip._

A chill washed over me. I sprung up from my chair, looking all around. Aside from a few curious glances from my coworkers, I saw nothing. Nervous, I sat back down and tried to focus on my work.

* * *

Later that night, I was up in my bedroom, mindlessly surfing the internet. It was a warm evening, so I had the window open, taking pleasure in the scent of fresh air. I was reading a news article when I heard that familiar sound.

_Snip, snip._

I whipped around, looking for a cut flower. Nothing. I frowned. Was I losing my mind?

_Snip, snip._

Well, that was different. I waited for the sound to come again. Sure enough, I heard it a moment later.

_Snip, snip._

I glanced toward my open window. Maybe Kenji was right and I did have a stalker. Steeling myself, I went over and poked my head out. The glow of a nearby streetlamp lit up my front porch, allowing me to see the figure kneeling in front of my door. She had long, shiny black hair and wore a white kimono, like those worn by the deceased. In one hand she held a chrysanthemum, and in the other an old fashioned pair of scissors. On closer inspection, they appeared to be a pair of antique thread scissors. I watched as she clipped the flower from its stem and laid it right in front of my door. She then reached into her kimono and pulled out a different flower, a gladioli. She snipped the several buds and arranged them around the chrysanthemum. I'll admit, I was too confused to say anything. What was this strange woman doing clipping flowers and laying them in front of my house late at night?

Before I could call out to her, she stood up. She hung her head, so I wasn't able to make out her face. She then turned and walked away, turning right and heading down the darkened part of the street, her white kimono shining in the dark. Not wanting to waste time, I bolted from my bedroom and raced to the front door. By the time I got outside, she was gone. I turned and looked at the flower arrangement I'd stomped on in my rush to confront her. The gladioli blooms had been arranged in a circle around the chrysanthemum, like some bizarre funeral bouquet. I turned and walked back in the house, kicking the flowers aside.

* * *

Yusuke drained his beer. "Damn. That sounds creepy."

I nodded, taking a sip of mine. "Tell me about it. I have no idea who she is, or what she wants."

Kuwabara rubbed his neck. "And you said she's even done this inside your house and your office?"

I nodded. The most bizarre thing was that when I asked, none of my coworkers claimed to have seen a woman matching that description. Kenji had gone so far as to tell me I was working too hard. Midori thought I was trying some lame attempt to ask her our again. Everyone else had just been confused and said they'd keep an eye out. I had a feeling no one at work believed me. I had no idea as to how she'd gotten in my house, and that terrified me the most. Everything had been locked. Was what Kenji said true? Had she been inside the whole time, and just slipped out? That would explain my hearing the scissors in my bedroom that first time.

The three of us fell silent for a moment, allowing the noise of the bar to retake the space between us. I looked around the bar. A couple tabled down, a group of tipsy college students were hitting on a waitress. Her annoyed expression and tight grip on her pen not enough of a hint to the slightly soused young men in her charge. Across the bar two older women sipped wine and eyed up the bartender as he mixed up a cocktail for the young, voluptuous blonde at the bar. No sign of the woman from my doorstep.

"Maybe you can call the police?" Yusuke suggested, bringing my attention back to the table.

I shook my head. "Leaving flowers isn't exactly against the law. Besides, I've got no way to prove that she broke into my house."

"Still," Kuwabara leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table, "you've got to do something. Tell her to stop the next time you see her."

"I'll do that."

Yusuke waived the waitress over and ordered another beer. Meanwhile, Kuwabara shifted the conversation to a date he'd gone on with Yukina. I listened, but continued to keep my eye out.

* * *

The squeak of the mail slot pulled me out of the book I'd been reading. I glanced at the clock on the wall over the television. 10:30. _Who drops something through the mail slot at this hour? _I wondered. It was way too late for the post office to be making their rounds. Hell, it was way too late for any kind of postage. The mail slot squeaked again. Confused, I placed my book down on the coffee table and went to the door. My heart dropped. Resting on the floor were more flowers. I crept closer to the door. As I did, the mail slot opened. From the other side, I could hear the faint snip of the scissors. Then, a pale hand slid through the slot and dropped a clipped white lily. It plunked to the floor, resting amongst the others. I clenched my hands into fists. This was ridiculous. I was going to confront this woman and make her stop.

Preparing a polite, yet firm speech in my head, I strode towards the door and yanked it open.

"Look, I don't know what you're trying to do but-"

The rest of my demand shriveled and died in my mouth. Standing on my front porch was not a woman. Oh, it had the form of a woman alright. But that face… Oh, God that face! It didn't have eyes, just two large, sunken black pits with some creepy blue glow emanating from some unknown point within. The mouth was a single, oily ebon slash. It wasn't curved upward in a natural smile, but it was sharp, pointed, v-shaped; and it stretched from ear to ear. It had no lips, nor any teeth.

I cried out and fell back. The hardwood floor jarred my tailbone and I winced. The creature giggled and took a shuffling step towards me. I scuttled back. Panic had overtaken my mind. All I could think of was getting away. I tried to kick the door closed, but she caught it. My heartrate doubled, then tripled as the thing before me shoved the door all the way open. The edge caught on my big toe as did. The nail tore and I yelped in pain. Tiny droplets of blood splattered across the wood, looking like scattered rose petals. She stood over me, staring down. At this point, I wanted to say I got up and ran, or kicked her feet out from under her and subdued her, but in truth I was now too terrified to move. I watched as she crouched down and then began to crawl up my prone, trembling body. The last thing I saw before I passed out was her eyes staring deep into mine.

* * *

I awoke the next morning. At first, I was confused as to why I was lying in the entryway. Then, I noticed my wide open door, and last night's events came rushing back to me. My mail slot, the flowers, that…_monster _on my doorstep. Panic crackled through me, and I scrambled to my feet, running all throughout my house. Every door was open, everything was unlocked, and there were flowers in every room. Not just one or two this time, but several, enough flowers to fill baskets. They were strewn over every surface in my living room, heaped on my kitchen table. They were even laid out on my bed.

Hysteria gripped me. I ran to the kitchen, grabbed my trashcan, and threw flowers in by the fistful. When I was done, I took the bag half a block over and threw it in someone else's garbage pickup. I didn't want those things near me.

I haven't gone to work in days. I don't leave the house. Botan stopped by, but I didn't open the door. Tons of people have tried to call. My boss, my coworkers, friends, even my own mother. I couldn't take it. I unplugged the phone yesterday. They don't get it. I can't risk them coming inside. If they do, they'll be next! I just know it!

There's flowers all over the house. I tried to throw them away after that night, but it's no good. Everyday more appear. She's inside, but she's crafty. I don't see her unless she wants me to. Sometimes she'll appear in the mirror behind me, sometimes in a reflection of the television. Other times she'll appear at the end of a hallway, or at the bottom of the stairs. One time, I woke up and saw her hovering right over me. I try not to sleep anymore. Every time though, every time she appears, I can hear those damned scissors. That sinister little _snip, snip_.

Oh God…

I think I just heard it behind me.

* * *

**Done and done! Let me know what you think! Drop me a review!**


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